Switzerland in 50 portraits
- Diversity
- Institute for Quantum Electronics (IQE)
How is Switzerland's performance perceived abroad? What role do women play in this? Women’s contributions and their stories often go untold, their voices unheard, their impact is overlooked. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs is drawing attention to this on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of national women's suffrage in Switzerland.
With “Women of Switzerland: a country in 50 portraits”, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) aims to amplify thes voices of women, and to create spaces for important conversations. It invites you to discover the stories of 50 selected female icons, trendsetters and pioneers in the fields of arts, politics, science and innovation, and to explore the achievements of women who have helped shape society in Switzerland and beyond.
Professor of Physics at ETH Zurich
One of the 50 women portrayed is the experimental physicist Ursula Keller who explores and pushes the frontiers of ultra-fast science and technology. She is a professor of physics at ETH Zurich and director of the interdisciplinary research programme NCCR MUST, which brings together 26 Swiss research groups in “Molecular Ultrafast Science and Technology”.
Professor Keller's research mainly focuses on ultrashort laser pulses. The “Atto clock” is one of her most ground-breaking inventions, enabling the most accurate time measurements in atomic physics to date. With special devices, she has increased the performance and use of solid-state lasers, for example in the fields of precision measurement, sensor technology and medicine. She was a member of the Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation and the founding president of the ETH Women Professors Forum. Her ground-breaking research projects and inventions have been awarded many international prizes and awards.
“Women of Switzerland: a country in 50 portraits” is a project of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, initiated by Presence Switzerland and the Embassy of Switzerland in London, in cooperation with the Swiss Embassies in Berlin, Madrid, Moscow, Paris, Rome, Tel Aviv, Vienna and Washington. This article is based on the communication of the external pageFDFA.